Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III staged an unbelievable NFL debut on Sunday, throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-32 win over New Orleans.
And while we knew the rookie was also Mr. Endorsement, he debuted on the main stage with a small gesture of loyalty toward Adidas, one of his many sponsors. As Paul Lukas of Uni Watch noted, Griffin modified his Nike undershirt to say 'Heart,' presumably so that the swoosh would be less visible during pregame warmups.
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Griffin's attempt at masking didn't work very well — Nike's logo is still visible in the photo above — but Adidas had to be pleased anyway seeing as how it will spark discussion and be a reminder that a much buzzed-about athlete is part of their stable. The move brought to mind the 1992 Olympics, when Michael Jordan and other Nike-sponsored Dream Team members took the medal stand while wearing U.S. flags draped over their mandatory Reebok warmups.
Turnabout may indeed be fair play, but it's not like Nike missed out on many other exposure opportunities with RG3 on Sunday. The Redskins' uniforms — as well as those for the 31 other NFL teams — feature swooshes on each shoulder as well as on the left hip and there's nothing that Griffin can do to modify the on-field uniform. (It's also worth wondering if he'll hear anything about Sunday's pregame alteration from the league and be told to stop in the future.)
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Griffin's pedigree as a Heisman Trophy winner with a great personality and smile have already made him a winner on Madison Avenue. He attracted a great deal of media attention for all of the sponsor deals he signed before ever taking a snap in the NFL and he plans to live off his endorsement money while banking his contract with the Redskins. He shouldn't have any problem doing that, seeing as how his endorsements already include Adidas, Subway, Gatorade, Sprint, EvoShield, EA Sports, Nissan and Castrol Motor Oil.
H/T: Larry Brown Sports
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